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[journeyman]

 I consider those extended warrantees like making a bet with the insurance company.
 You're betting the bike will have a catastrophic breakdown , their betting it will not, and either way it cost you $2000!

[ultrafxr]

I consider those extended warrantees like making a bet with the insurance company.
 You're betting the bike will have a catastrophic breakdown , their betting it will not, and either way it cost you $2000!

Based on my experience with H-D for almost 20 years the $2000 ESP is well worth it.  If you keep it long enough (say 7 years for the max time on ESP at time of purchase) and ride it enough that you will have 60 - 70k on it by then the odds are tremendous that you will have some catastrophic failure.  That has been my experience for sure and $2000 won't even make a good down payment on the repair bill.  And don't forget things like conpensators, wheel bearings, audio problems, etc., that also run up the $$ pretty darn quickly.  Sure the ESP company can only make a profit and stay in business if some folks have very little utilization (meaning they don't put all those miles on their bikes) but that is true with any type of insurance but for me it makes sense. 

I never buy ESP for anything else but I wouldn't keep a Harley beyond the factory warranty period with one.  To each his own but that is MHO and experience.

[Texas 103]

Jim Palmer Kutter Harley
James Palmer <finance@kutterharley.com>

X- 2 on Jim. He sells Cornerstone, they write for Artic Cat, Suzuki else. 0 deductible, works like a charm..That 's what I will do again when mine runs out

[FLTRCVO]

I consider those extended warrantees like making a bet with the insurance company.
 You're betting the bike will have a catastrophic breakdown , their betting it will not, and either way it cost you $2000!

I can only speak for myself, I purchased a motorcycle to ride; riding a motorcycle will put miles on the odometer, thus, the motor, tires, transmission, ect.. My motorcycle has the 110 motor, it is mechanical which means, to me, many internal moving parts. Therefore, I have a motorcycle with 2 spark plugs, one more than my weed wacker, with many internal moving parts, air cooled, ridden in extreme temperatures for many miles with an idiot sitting in the seat. I don't believe you realize a single lifter imploding in the bottom of the engine case is no less than a 6300. bill (a problem quite common with the 110 motor). Now you could have paid 2100. for 5 years of ESP with a $50. deductible, that is a net of 4150. which does not include all the other covered repairs within the same 5 year period which adds to the net. That to me is an investment, not a bet, unless you don't put miles on the bike; or be looking for 4150. to get your bike out of the shop. I can't quote Cornerstone or Zurich pay schedules to give any numbers but I do know they offer programs similar to the ESP.

[ultrafxr]

I can only speak for myself, I purchased a motorcycle to ride; riding a motorcycle will put miles on the odometer, thus, the motor, tires, transmission, ect.. My motorcycle has the 110 motor, it is mechanical which means, to me, many internal moving parts. Therefore, I have a motorcycle with 2 spark plugs, one more than my weed wacker, with many internal moving parts, air cooled, ridden in extreme temperatures for many miles with an idiot sitting in the seat. I don't believe you realize a single lifter imploding in the bottom of the engine case is no less than a 6300. bill (a problem quite common with the 110 motor). Now you could have paid 2100. for 5 years of ESP with a $50. deductible, that is a net of 4150. which does not include all the other covered repairs within the same 5 year period which adds to the net. That to me is an investment, not a bet, unless you don't put miles on the bike; or be looking for 4150. to get your bike out of the shop. I can't quote Cornerstone or Zurich pay schedules to give any numbers but I do know they offer programs similar to the ESP.

Right you are.  I got a copy of the repair order for the engine rebuild on my 2012 and it was $5,100 and that did not include cases - but flywheel on up.  And during the 5 years and 68k I had the bike ESP paid for wheel bearings, iPod connecting cable, audio overlay harness to passenger communications hook up, ignition switch which ceased to work with power locks, XM radio module, and leaking oil cooler.

And when I traded for the 2017 I had 2 years remaining on the 2012's ESP and got a $400 refund.  So for me it was a very smart investment to purchase the 7 year ESP shortly after I got the bike.  If you ride them they will break.

[bad00serg]

My 2014 RK is now 6 moths out of the HD warranty.  Are there any ESPs that I can purchase now on a bike that I own with no existing warranty or ESP?

[OBB]

My 2014 RK is now 6 moths out of the HD warranty.  Are there any ESPs that I can purchase now on a bike that I own with no existing warranty or ESP?

Yes. The one offered by  your dealer but I believe there is a 30 day "no claims approved" wait time meaning it doesn't go into effect for 30 days. Someone will correct me on this or explain it better.

[skratch]

plus, I think they have to inspect the bike as well.

[OBB]

plus, I think they have to inspect the bike as well.

I don't remember having to do that when I bought the esp on my '11 that I bought used. That being said, the '11 was still under factory warranty when I bought the esp from Kutter though. Just more info to toss out there.

[journeyman]

The guys with the doomsday scenarios are missing the point of this being a bad investment.    The fact is that it is incredibly rare that this will ever pay off as an investment.   For every story like this, they are a thousand where it was just a waste of money.   This is something the insurance companies figured out along time ago, which is why they are happy to sell these policy's.   For a guy that buys a new bike about every four years, he would have most likely lost $10,000 in these policies since the year 2000.

 If you are one of the guys in the 'peace of mind' camp, remember this, they will deny you if it all possible.   Was the bike properly maintained, do you have proof of it, could it have been prevented, did you modify the bike, at all?  Oh, and if it looks like this is going to be losing venture for them because of some common issue, they can just close the insurance portion of the company you dealt with.

 You would be better off putting $2000 per bike aside in a 'repair' fund, or buying lottery tickets than making a habit of buying these extended protection plans.

 Imagine buying a $2000 lottery ticket where the prize is worth less than the $2000 you spent.

Remember when you make a bet with the insurance company that your bike will break, they know a lot more about what they're doing then you do.

[ultrafxr]

The guys with the doomsday scenarios are missing the point of this being a bad investment.    The fact is that it is incredibly rare that this will ever pay off as an investment.   For every story like this, they are a thousand where it was just a waste of money.   This is something the insurance companies figured out along time ago, which is why they are happy to sell these policy's.   For a guy that buys a new bike about every four years, he would have most likely lost $10,000 in these policies since the year 2000.

 If you are one of the guys in the 'peace of mind' camp, remember this, they will deny you if it all possible.   Was the bike properly maintained, do you have proof of it, could it have been prevented, did you modify the bike, at all?  Oh, and if it looks like this is going to be losing venture for them because of some common issue, they can just close the insurance portion of the company you dealt with.

 You would be better off putting $2000 per bike aside in a 'repair' fund, or buying lottery tickets than making a habit of buying these extended protection plans.

 Imagine buying a $2000 lottery ticket where the prize is worth less than the $2000 you spent.

Remember when you make a bet with the insurance company that your bike will break, they know a lot more about what they're doing then you do.

I think both of us are correct within certain parameters - that being mileage ridden before sale or trade.  I totally agree that insurance companies (in fact no company) can stay in business shelling out more than they take in.  So what you are doing whenever you purchase any type of insurance is laying off the risk that you are not willing to retain.  There is no 'bet' that your bike is going to break because it will given enough time and miles.  What you are 'betting' if you want to call it that is that yours will break prematurely or at least before you are through with it.

Owners who do not ride much (and there are quite a lot of them) probably 'lose' out and have made a bad investment in their ESP.  But those of us who rack up the miles have a much greater chance of coming out ahead by buying the ESP.  I've had ESP on 5 touring H-Ds and I promise that each one of them more than paid for itself . . . and I don't think my experience is all that unusual. 

I'm not trying to convince anyone what they should do but I am glad to have access to the knowledge and experience of many others who have been through this and hopefully that will assist them in making the decision if the ESP is a worthwhile expenditure.

Now with H-D getting so pricey (maybe because the claims are ramping up) I plan to buy the Cornerstone ESP sometime before my factory warranty runs out on my '17.  Then again I may just trade it at that point but if I do keep it I will have an ESP on it for sure. 

[iski]

That's your opinion journeyman.  I have had the extended warranty on 3 HD bikes.  Each of the 3 was to my favor, and 1 of those was several thousand dollars ahead, which would have paid for the cost of all 3 alone.  And yes I count the $50 deductible. The bikes with a lot of electronics are more prone to need repair, less so on Sportys of course.

If somebody rides a only few miles a year (1-2,000 miles) extended warranty is probably not a good idea.  If somebody rides 6-10,000 miles a year or more, is probably a good idea if the bike is kept past the 2 year factory warranty.  I know quite a few people who ride (Ultras, Road Glides, Road Kings) a lot, and each of them is very happy to have the extended warranty since it has saved all them them more than it cost.

I wait until the factory warranty is up & then purchase, have not seen the need to buy the extended warranty at time of purchase.  Others do, not a bad decision just one I have not seen the value in.

The insurance company that sells these would do actuarial tables to calculate risk. The assumption is: people who buy bikes think they will be riding them more than they will be.  From experience, a lot of Harleys are not ridden that much - 10 year old bikes with 2,500 - 5,000 miles on them can be found for sale. Lots of 2-5 year old bikes with very low miles are out there.  For those who do not ride that much, chances of something breaking are much less.  That's where the selling company wins their bet.  Those who ride more unfortunately usually win that warranty bet with them as well.  Nature of the beast.

**Edit in: Ultrafxr you were posting at the same time as I was.  All good points.  Will also be checking out Cornerstone.  Interested  to see if most HD dealers will honor it as well as the Indie network.

[journeyman]

That's your opinion journeyman.  I have had the extended warranty on 3 HD bikes.  Each of the 3 was to my favor, and 1 of those was several thousand dollars ahead, which would have paid for the cost of all 3 alone.  And yes I count the $50 deductible. The bikes with a lot of electronics are more prone to need repair, less so on Sportys of course.

If somebody rides a only few miles a year (1-2,000 miles) extended warranty is probably not a good idea.  If somebody rides 6-10,000 miles a year or more, is probably a good idea if the bike is kept past the 2 year factory warranty.  I know quite a few people who ride (Ultras, Road Glides, Road Kings) a lot, and each of them is very happy to have the extended warranty since it has saved all them them more than it cost.

I wait until the factory warranty is up & then purchase, have not seen the need to buy the extended warranty at time of purchase.  Others do, not a bad decision just one I have not seen the value in.

The insurance company that sells these would do actuarial tables to calculate risk. The assumption is: people who buy bikes think they will be riding them more than they will be.  From experience, a lot of Harleys are not ridden that much - 10 year old bikes with 2,500 - 5,000 miles on them can be found for sale. Lots of 2-5 year old bikes with very low miles are out there.  For those who do not ride that much, chances of something breaking are much less.  That's where the selling company wins their bet.  Those who ride more unfortunately usually win that warranty bet with them as well.  Nature of the beast.

**Edit in: Ultrafxr you were posting at the same time as I was.  All good points.  Will also be checking out Cornerstone.  Interested  to see if most HD dealers will honor it as well as the Indie network.

Everyone like to think they made the best decision, and it seems to have worked out OK for you but, you are 3 for 3 with bikes that had catastrophic breakdowns?  You have to admit this does not accurately reflect what the average guy is to expect, or possibly ever even hear of.

The average CVO owner must have made some good financial decisions in order to get one, not trying to single you out personally, just ESP plans are just not one of them.

Mileage-wise, I have been averaging 14k per year since adding the touring lineup in 2009, and still own my Shovelhead from the 80s which has 100k plus miles on it.   If I combine the cost of all the breakdowns on all my Harleys in all those years, it does not add up to the cost of one ESP plan.  Granted I stay on top of my own equipment as PMs require.

Three of my last four bikes needed some sort of warranty work during the two year factory warranty period, nothing major.  But with each bike the service manager challenged me on honoring the warranty, Factory warranties!  The most ridiculous of which had to do with the Harmon Kardon radio, it stopped working.  Manager said he could deny the warranty based on my replacing slip on mufflers.  He said they were not factory, therefore the harmonics of the whole bike are changed, and if he choose to write that in the repair notes, my warranty would be over.  Why would anyone want to pay to extend that relationship?   The cost of a flat rate Radio exchange at Iron Cross was $150 at that time, a lot less than any ESP! 

[iski]

Everyone like to think they made the best decision, and it seems to have worked out OK for you but, you are 3 for 3 with bikes that had catastrophic breakdowns?  You have to admit this does not accurately reflect what the average guy is to expect, or possibly ever even hear of.

The average CVO owner must have made some good financial decisions in order to get one, not trying to single you out personally, just ESP plans are just not one of them.

Mileage-wise, I have been averaging 14k per year since adding the touring lineup in 2009, and still own my Shovelhead from the 80s which has 100k plus miles on it.   If I combine the cost of all the breakdowns on all my Harleys in all those years, it does not add up to the cost of one ESP plan.  Granted I stay on top of my own equipment as PMs require.

Three of my last four bikes needed some sort of warranty work during the two year factory warranty period, nothing major.  But with each bike the service manager challenged me on honoring the warranty, Factory warranties!  The most ridiculous of which had to do with the Harmon Kardon radio, it stopped working.  Manager said he could deny the warranty based on my replacing slip on mufflers.  He said they were not factory, therefore the harmonics of the whole bike are changed, and if he choose to write that in the repair notes, my warranty would be over.  Why would anyone want to pay to extend that relationship?   The cost of a flat rate Radio exchange at Iron Cross was $150 at that time, a lot less than any ESP!

No not all had huge breakdowns.  One did.  Radios (multiples) starters, wheel bearing, calipers/rotors, oil leaks (multiples), heated grip multiple failures, wiring issues (multiples), and so on. Parts alone each of the other 2 covered the warranty costs.  Add $100 an hour labor, it adds up quick.  I have friends who do not purchase extended warranties.  Several now regret it, several have changed their minds & as they have moved to Ultras have purchased them.  Frankly I know of no one who is upset at owning an ESP.  To each their own.

[ultrafxr]

Back to the OP's question - where to purchase ESP?  I think we've given some excellent answers but we've gone off topic about the advisability of ESPs in general.   

That horse is dead and I'm outta here.